HM Treasury

Personal Income

Caroline Flint: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the reduction in household income arising from net tax and benefit reforms in the Summer Budget 2015 will be made up by an increase in household income arising from the new National Living Wage.

Damian Hinds: The Government is supporting household incomes by introducing a new National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 25 and above from April 2016. The NLW will be introduced at a level of £7.20, 50p more than the current NMW which means a £900 p.a. increase in earnings next year for a full-time worker. By 2020 the NLW is expected to be over £9 an hour, meaning a full-time worker will earn £4,800 more than today.By 2020 it is expected that the NLW will directly benefit 2¾m workers; while up to 6m could benefit from ripple effect. A number of large employers have already started paying wages at or above the NLW level, these include Ikea, Lidl, and Morrisons.

Insolvency

Andy Slaughter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax HM Revenue and Customs collected as a result of insolvency litigation in each year from 2010.

Mr David Gauke: HMRC does not hold any statistical data relating to tax collected resulting from insolvency litigation

Welfare Tax Credits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's impact assessment on the Tax Credits (Income Threshold and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, what the (a) income brackets are for each decile and (b) equivalent levels are for the proportions in Chart 1.

Damian Hinds: The analysis that fed into the published Impact Assessment[1] shows how the £4.4bn of savings from the tax credit changes as laid out in the publication are distributed for each income decile on the income distribution for tax credit claimants. This has clearly demonstrated that tax credit claimants on the highest incomes – on average £42,000 a year - will contribute nearly 4 times as much as the claimants on the lowest incomes to the savings from this policy.This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.[1] http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/Secondary-Legislation-Scrutiny-Committee/DraftTaxCreditsRegs2015-ImpactAssessment.pdf

Taxation: Self-assessment

Joanna  Cherry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many requests have been made for paper copies of tax return forms in the last 12 months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold easily accessible data regarding the number of requests made for paper copies of tax returns forms in the last 12 months.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Joanna  Cherry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken for HM Revenue and Customs to respond to a request for a paper tax form was in the last 12 months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this information.

Financial Action Task Force

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implementation of the recommendations on money laundering and terrorism financing of the G7 Financial Action Task Force.

Harriett Baldwin: The international standards for anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing are set by the Financial Action Task Force of which the UK is a leading member. The UK has a comprehensive anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime, and we are committed to ensuring our financial system is a hostile environment for criminal finances. The UK was last assessed by the FATF in 2007 and our high level of compliance with the standards exempted us from the detailed follow-up most countries must complete. The UK will next be evaluated beginning in 2017 and the Treasury and Home Office are already making the necessary preparations for this assessment.To this end, the Government recently published the UK’s first National Risk Assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing which is a requirement of the FATF standards. We are now preparing an Action Plan to address the findings of the NRA. The Action Plan will be a core component of our preparations for our FATF evaluation.The FATF has now completed fourth round evaluations of Spain, Belgium, Norway, Australia, and Malaysia to assess both technical compliance and effectiveness. These reports, and those of the previous rounds, are publicly available on the FATF website (www.fatf-gafi.org).

Office for Budget Responsibility

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to revise the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) memorandum of understanding to permit the Government to request changes to OBR publications over and above factual comments on the presentation of analysis and forecasts; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: There are currently no plans to revise the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to permit the Government to request changes over and above factual comments on the presentation of analysis and forecasts. Were there to be any changes to the MoU these must be approved by all its signatories - HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and the OBR.

Slavery

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 10809, how many enforcement actions involving victims of modern slavery have been undertaken since February 2015.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) participates in multi-agency investigations into cases of Modern Slavery where there are potential tax or National Minimum Wage offences. Since February this year, HMRC has opened 60 tax investigations in cases where Modern Slavery is suspected.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of illegal fuel laundering and smuggling in the UK in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: The latest tax gap figures published by HMRC on 22 October 2015 show that revenue loss from the illicit use of diesel in Great Britain fell from 12% in 2002-03 to less than 1% in 2013-14. In Northern Ireland, where this issue has been a particular problem, the illicit market share has been reduced from 26% to 8% over the same period.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gapsHMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. Additionally, the UK has recently implemented an improved marker for rebated fuel, which will make it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of illegal fuel laundering and smuggling in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: The latest tax gap figures published on 22 October 2015 show that the revenue loss from the illicit use of diesel in NI fell from 26% in 2002-03 to 8% in 2013-14.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gapsHMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. The UK has recently implemented an improved marker for rebated fuel, which will make it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

Tobacco: Tax Evasion

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of tobacco smuggling in the UK in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: Estimates of revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2014-15’. The combined figures for Cigarettes and Hand Rolling Tobacco are available in table 1.1The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2015’.Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

Tobacco: Tax Evasion

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of tobacco smuggling in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: Estimates of revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2014-15’. The combined figures for Cigarettes and Hand Rolling Tobacco are available in table 1.1These estimates cannot be disaggregated by country within the UK.The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2015’.Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs are taking to stop illegal fuel laundering and smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Damian Hinds: The government is committed to reducing revenue loss due to fuel duty fraud in Northern Ireland. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy in place that has helped drive down the estimated illicit market for diesel in Northern Ireland (NI) from 26% to 8% since its launch in 2002. Autumn Statement 2013 also announced the expansion of HMRC Road Fuel Testing Unit and Criminal Investigation capacity in NI and GB.The fight against fraud will be further enhanced by the new rebated fuel marker introduced in April 2015, which makes it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.HMRC also works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to fight fuel fraud on a wide range of fronts. This multi-agency approach includes regular exchange of information and joint operational activity. Ireland have also introduce the same new marker as the UK.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs are taking to stop tobacco smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Damian Hinds: Tobacco fraud is a highly organised global crime which costs the UK £2.1 billion a year in lost taxes. Cross border collaboration is an essential part of HMRC’s tobacco anti-fraud strategy which has resulted in significant reductions in the illicit trade. The strategy is kept under regular review as the challenges posed by the cross-border illicit trade in tobacco evolve. The joint HMRC and UK Border Force strategy for tackling illicit tobacco has been refreshed and was published on 24 March 2015. It is available via the following link:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418732/Tackling_illicit_tobacco_-_From_leaf_to_light__2015_.pdfThe strategy sets out how HMRC are working with other enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas to target, catch and punish those involved. It also includes the establishment of a cross-government ministerial group to oversee future evolution of the anti-illicit tobacco strategy. The strategy builds on the considerable success made in reducing the UK illicit cigarette market from 22% in 2000 to 10% in 2014/15, and from 61% to 35% for hand-rolling tobacco over the same period.In Northern Ireland there is a well-established Cross-border Fraud Enforcement Group covering tobacco fraud. The aim of the group is for law enforcement partners to share intelligence and work collaboratively, harnessing all available resources to tackle the illicit trade across the border. This multi-agency tobacco group is chaired by HMRC with representation from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the National Crime Agency (formerly SOCA), the Revenue Commissioners and the Criminal Assets Bureau.This is a highly effective enforcement group which is producing significant results. In the last year (2014/15) joint cross border tobacco operations have led to seizures of 38 million cigarettes, 11 tonnes of raw tobacco, 4.5 tonnes of shisha tobacco, a tobacco processing machine, 12 arrests and significant amounts of cash.More recently, in the Summer Budget 2015, the Government announced measures that will increase by 50% HMRC’s capacity to investigate and prosecute Organised Crime Groups dealing in illicit tobacco. They will also expand HMRC’s intelligence network, strengthening activity in high risk areas overseas, on the near continent and in the UK.

Working Tax Credit: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of working families in Northern Ireland who will be affected by proposed changes to working tax credits; and what estimate he has made of the average change in the amount that will be received by such families in the year commencing April 2016.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available.Information about the number of benefitting families and average entitlement by region and Parliamentary Constituency in the tax year 2013-14 can be found in the publication ‘Personal tax credits: Finalised award statistics – geographical statistics 2013-2014’ here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-finalised-award-statistics-geographical-statistics-2013-to-2014

Personal Pensions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, following his decision to reduce the lifetime allowance for those saving with personal pensions, what assistance the Government plans to offer to people whose additional pension provision is likely to breach the reduced lifetime allowance for personal pensions but would not have breached the previous limit.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government will put in place transitional protection to ensure that individuals with savings over the proposed lifetime allowance limit are not subject to retrospective taxation. Further detail on these protections is provided at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-schemes-newsletter-73-october-2015/pension-schemes-newsletter-73-october-2015

Transport: Infrastructure

Lilian Greenwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's press release, Infrastructure at heart of Spending Review as Chancellor launches National Infrastructure Commission, published on 30 October 2015, what transport projects are included in the £100 billion infrastructure spending; and what the projected spend on those projects is in each year to 2020-21.

Greg Hands: The £100 billion of infrastructure spending includes publically-funded infrastructure projects and programmes in the National Infrastructure Pipeline. The Pipeline is a strategic view of economic infrastructure investment.Transport projects and programmes include:Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2014-2019), currently being re-planned by the Chairman, Sir Peter HendyHighway England’s Road Investment Strategy (2015-2020)High Speed 2Transport for London’s centrally-funded investment programmeCentrally-funded Local Authority transport projects  Details of the projected annual spend to 2020-21 can be found in the most recent refresh of the Pipeline, published in July 2015.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Register: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many (a) EU and (b) Commonwealth citizens from which countries were registered in each London borough to vote by October 2015.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission holds data on the the number of European Union (EU) citizens (including attainers) on the electoral registers in December 2014. These figures are collected annually by the Office of National Statistics for England and Wales. Data is not available on the number of registered Commonwealth citizens as the registers do not distinguish Commonwealth citizens as they are entitled to vote in all elections.London boroughNumber of registered EU citizensBarking and Dagenham11,552Barnet23,174Bexley5,148Brent30,107Bromley8,742Camden17,654City of London748Croydon15,731Ealing31,339Enfield16,803Greenwich15,217Hackney18,145Hammersmith and Fulham18,965Haringey21,020Harrow14,641Havering5,282Hillingdon12,935Hounslow21,089Islington16,334Kensington and Chelsea20,670Kingston upon Thames8,971Lambeth28,035Lewisham16,651Merton16,725Newham25,562Redbridge13,999Richmond upon Thames9,580Southwark20,368Sutton7,848Tower Hamlets19,910Waltham Forest22,269Wandsworth24,764Westminster19,565

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what plans are in place for monitoring the EU referendum.

Mr Gary Streeter: In addition to its roles overseeing delivery of the referendum, supporting the work of Electoral Registration Officers in registering voters and helping the police and electoral administrators tackle allegations of electoral fraud, one of the Electoral Commission’s key objectives is to ensure the integrity and transparency for voters of campaign funding and spending at the EU referendum. Its role will be to register campaigners and regulate their funding and spending.To ensure all campaigners know what the rules are, the Commission will actively engage with potential campaigners, publish guidance and provide an advice line. It will receive, analyse and publish information about the campaign funding and spending; ensuring this information is provided by campaigners on time and in line with the legal requirements. The Commission will also deal with potential breaches of the rules, including by the use of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where appropriate.As part of its approach, the Commission will monitor campaigning. Using various sources, including the media and information brought to the Commission by campaigners and others, it will identify emerging issues and opportunities to offer advice and guidance to those it regulates or, if necessary, take enforcement action where the rules are not followed. The Commission will also refer to the information obtained through campaign monitoring when looking at financial information submitted by campaigners.

Electoral Register: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many people on the electoral register on 7 May 2015 were (a) registered under individual electoral registration, (b) data matched and (c) carried over from the old register in each London borough.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission holds data on how many register entries on 7 May 2015 related to electors who had either been confirmed, through data matching, or were individually registered, and the number that were being retained on the registers under the IER transitional arrangements. This data is set out below by local authority area in London.Local authorityConfirmed or IER RegisteredRetainedLocal Government (incl. Attainers)Barking and Dagenham116,08011,107127,187Barnet232,44316,587249,030Bexley170,7898,432179,221Brent195,76922,004217,773Bromley235,2336,889242,122Camden147,71910,070157,789City of London6,5144286,942Croydon250,65213,231263,883Ealing239,3326,929246,261Enfield207,29510,242217,537Greenwich175,9638,952184,915Hackney147,70043,774191,474Hammersmith and Fulham124,3926,660131,052Haringey153,16118,537171,698Harrow167,11013,490180,600Havering182,8335,378188,211Hillingdon202,1167,123209,239Hounslow181,4048,079189,483Islington148,2659,524157,789Kensington and Chelsea86,28517,660103,945Kingston upon Thames116,4251,689118,114Lambeth214,52925,297239,826Lewisham181,80116,187197,988Merton146,7416,233152,974Newham186,96518,896205,861Redbridge192,94925,486218,435Richmond upon Thames138,0251,336139,361Southwark197,57715,230212,807Sutton139,5298,141147,670Tower Hamlets170,62615,215185,841Waltham Forest172,09414,616186,710Wandsworth228,35413,347241,701Westminster129,0628,244137,306

Elections: Fraud

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Speaker's Committee has had on the extent of electoral fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Speaker's Committee is in regular dialogue with the Electoral Commission on matters concerning electoral fraud, most notably in advance of the Commission publishing its corporate plan on an annual basis.The Commission provides advice to those who are involved on the frontline in identifying, investigating and prosecuting cases of electoral fraud. Before each set of elections the Commission provides advice to the police, electoral administrators and others on ways to prevent and detect electoral fraud, based on the best practice it has identified through working with partners across electoral administration and the justice system. Each year the Commission publishes data on allegations of electoral fraud that are reported to the police.The Commission targets additional support for those on the front line in 18 areas in England where there is a higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud. This includes Slough and the Commission will be working again with these areas before the elections in May 2016 to build on what was done prior to the General Election. The Commission issued briefings to all honourable members in the last parliament on the work it was undertaking prior to the General Election to help tackle electoral fraud and will do so again before the elections in May 2016.In its 2014 review of electoral fraud, the Commission recommended that voters in Great Britain should be required to produce ID at polling stations, although it is yet to receive a response to this recommendation from the Government. The Commission has submitted evidence to the review being undertaken by Sir Eric Pickles and hopes that he agrees with it and that the Government accepts the Commission’s recommendation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of benefit sanctions on mental health.

Priti Patel: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2015 to Questions 901923, 901929 and 901937.

Work Programme

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what methodology his Department uses to model the deadweight assumptions used in assessing the performance of the Work Programme.

Priti Patel: The Department’s methodology for calculating the non-intervention level (‘deadweight’) is set out in the National Audit Office’s 2012 report on the Introduction of the Work Programme, in the Detailed Methodology section.https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/10121701_methodology.pdf

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in piloting reasonable adjustments to the work capability assessment for people with mental health problems.

Priti Patel: The Department has been working closely with its new provider, the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) to develop and test new processes for obtaining further evidence as part of the Work Capability Assessment. An initial test of these new processes should start by the end of the year.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to his Department is of an appeal against a fit for work decision.

Priti Patel: The level of information requested is not available.

Employment: Disability

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the Government's aim of halving the disability employment gap.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is committed to giving disabled people the opportunity to fulfil their potential and achieve their ambitions. Work is an important part of this. That is why we have committed to halving the disability employment gap, requiring us to transform policy, practice and public attitudes.We must build on recent progress. We have already:- extended Access to Work to provide support to more disabled people in pre-employment, such as work experience and also to undertake employment-based training, such as supported internships, traineeships and self-arranged work experience.- launched Specialist Employability Support, an innovative new programme which provides intensive, specialist support to the disabled people who need the most help.- continued to work with employers through our Disability Confident campaign to ensure that they understand the benefits of recruiting and retaining disabled people in work.- announced new funding in the Budget of up to £100m per year for additional practical support to provide the right incentives and support to enable those who have limited capability, but who have some potential to prepare, for work to move closer to the labour market, and when they are ready, back into work.- committed to spending £43m over the next 3 years to develop the evidence base on what works for those with common mental health conditions retain and return to employment. This will be done through a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots that will go live next yearWe set up the Work and Health unit in the summer to bring together the Work and Health agendas, to help disabled people and people with health conditions get into work, stay in work, and return to work with the right support and we are developing our plans in this area.The Government will set out it its spending plans for this Parliament in the forthcoming Spending Review.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey to Question 9852, by when his Department will be able to form a reliable estimate of the number of disability living allowance recipients who are Motability users who will not qualify for the enhanced rate of the personal independence payment mobility component.

Justin Tomlinson: We expect to be able to form a reliable estimate once a significant proportion of working-age Disability Living Allowance recipients have been reassessed for the Personal Independence Payment. Over 1.75 million claimants require reassessing; as of July 2015 circa 186,900 had been reassessed.As referenced in our previous reply of 16 September 2015, DWP will continue to pay DLA for four weeks after the decision not to pay PIP enhanced mobility component is made. The Motability charity has confirmed that claimants can keep their car for up to three weeks after DLA payments end. This means that claimants will retain their car for up to nearly two months even though they are not entitled to PIP enhanced mobility component.In addition, the Department has worked closely with Motability to ensure that those claimants who no longer meet the criteria for the mobility scheme are supported through the transitional period. For most of these claimants who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many claimants to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For claimants who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme after January 2013 and up to December 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs.

Food Banks: Advisory Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee of 28 October 2015, for how long a welfare rights adviser has been placed in the Birkenhead food bank; and when he plans to roll-out the placement of such advisers to all food banks.

Priti Patel: Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches regularly undertake outreach work in local communities. We have no specific knowledge of a welfare rights advisor working in a food bank in Birkenhead.

Occupational Pensions: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department has given to micro-businesses in adapting to new automatic enrolment pension schemes.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses are aware of their obligations relating to workplace pensions.

Justin Tomlinson: We are committed to supporting small and micro-businesses to adapt to their new automatic enrolment duties. Together with The Pensions Regulator, we have launched a new broadcast-led communications campaign to raise awareness of automatic enrolment amongst small employers.The Pensions Regulator has also recently launched a new interactive and simplified online step by step guide to automatic enrolment, designed to meet the specific needs of employers who may not have pensions experience, including those with just one or two staff. Employers using the website can access tailored information relevant to their circumstances. The Pensions Regulator also provides online content for business advisers who play an important role in supporting smaller employers to meet their legal duties. To raise awareness and understanding, the Regulator has had over 500 meetings with intermediary firms and spoken at over 300 events around the UK during the last yearThe Regulator sends a series of letters to every employer starting at least 12 months before their staging date, which is the date that the law applies to them. These letters set out what an employer needs to do and by when to comply with the law and signposts to the relevant information on the Regulator’s website.To help employers adjust to the costs of automatic enrolment the minimum employer contribution level starts at 1% and increases gradually to 3% by October 2018. In addition, to ensure that all firms have access to quality, low-cost pension provision, The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) was established by the Government and has a public service obligation to accept any employer that chooses NEST for automatic enrolment.

Occupational Pensions: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposals for automatic enrolment of employees in pension schemes on businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

Justin Tomlinson: In 2010 the independent Making Automatic Enrolment Work (MAEW) review considered the impact of automatic enrolment on small and micro businesses. DWP’s impact assessments and on-going evaluation of Automatic Enrolment continue to monitor the costs and benefits of automatic enrolment on small businesses, including those with fewer than 10 employees.DWP’s evaluation reports and impact assessments are all available online.

Jobcentre Plus: Food Banks

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job advisers he plans to locate in food banks.

Priti Patel: I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 3 November 2015 to Question 14114 and 14139

Home Office

Asylum

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average time taken is to process asylum applications from the point of initial screening interview to substantive asylum interview.

James Brokenshire: The current average time to process an asylum claim is 80 days, from the date of the screening interview to the date the substantive asylum interview has been concluded. This is down from a peak of 142 days in 2008.

Refugees: Syria

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide information and data about the housing, health, and social needs of Syrian refugees to enable local authorities to plan for their arrival.

Richard Harrington: We are working with local authorities to ensure that they are only asked to welcome Syrian refugees that their local structures are able to support. We are talking to them and other partners to ensure that capacity can be identified and the impact on those taking new cases can be managed in a fair and controlled way.The Home Office alongside other departments and the Local Government Association will work with individual local authorities who are volunteering to take Syrian refugees. Currently when a referral is made to a Local Authority who has asked to participate in the scheme all relevant information on family make up, age and specific or medical needs is included in that referral so that the Local Authority can make an informed decision to accept or reject the individuals based on the specific needs.

Refugees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 October 2015 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Refugees, Official Report, column 13, on Refugee crisis, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter of 1 October to chief executives of local authorities.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 19 October 2015



On 2 October local authorities received a letter to confirm that the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs are fully funded by central government using the overseas aid budget. To ensure that local authorities can plan ahead and continue to respond to the overwhelmingly generous response of the British people, the Government will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years. These arrangements will be applied to all cases since the 20,000 expansion was announced. A copy of that letter will not be placed in the Library. Guidance for local authorities and partners on the Syrian vulnerable person resettlement programme (VPR) is available on our website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syrian-vulnerable-person-resettlement-programme-fact-sheet

Counter-terrorism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what indicators are used by the Government and local authorities to assess the effectiveness of initiatives funded by the Prevent strategy.

Mr John Hayes: The Government has developed a comprehensive approach to assessing the effectiveness of the initiatives funded by the Prevent strategy, including output measures as well as an increased focus on impact and outcomes.

Undocumented Migrants: Calais

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has provided to (a) install fencing around the perimeter of the railhead at Coquelles, France, (b) install CCTV at the railhead at Coquelles and (c) strengthen security within the Channel Tunnel since 20 August 2015.

James Brokenshire: HM Government has invested over £20 million to reinforce border security through infrastructure improvements at the juxtaposed ports. This has included £7 million for fencing at Coquelles and we are further supporting Eurotunnel with key physical security costs related to the migrant pressures there. This includes funding 100 Eurotunnel security guards and essential security infrastructure work.

Home Office: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of legal fees in the case of Bondada, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWHC 2661 (Admin) (15 October 2015).

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 22 October 2015



Costs incurred are £48, 575.35, including applicant’s costs of £31, 118.79.

Refugees: Syria

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to place Syrian refugees in Northumberland; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 26 October 2015



Resettlement under the government schemes is voluntary on the part of local authorities. We are grateful to those who take on this role and will continue to work in partnership with them.We do not disclose the details of where refugees will be resettled upon their arrival in the UK under the Government resettlement schemes as this may undermine the privacy and recovery of this vulnerable group of people.

Radicalism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which non-governmental groups and individuals her Department consulted on its Counter-Extremism Strategy, published on 19 October 2015.

Karen Bradley: We have engaged widely with partners, including across government, academia, faith groups and communities to develop our strategy.

Home Office: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin), on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with local councils on their housing Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 30 October 2015



The expansion of the scheme needs careful and meticulous planning to ensure we get it right. Local authorities will play a vital role as we look to harness the strong offers of sup-port and assistance from across the UK.This is a voluntary scheme whereby local authorities sign up to accept refugees on a vol-untary basis. We are working closely with those local authorities that have indicated they wish to be involved as well as with the Local Government Association.

Employment: Crime

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's consultation document on Tackling Exploitation in the Labour Market, published in October 2015, what plans she has to use data gathered by labour market enforcement agencies in immigration enforcement activities.

Karen Bradley: The labour market enforcement bodies already work closely with Home Office immigration enforcement and share information. Where they identify suspected immigration offences during the course of their own investigations information is passed on and Immigration Enforcement may use information to conduct enforcement operations against businesses employing illegal migrants. This sharing of information will continue to be the case in the future.

Slavery: Compensation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 10048, if she will take steps to ensure that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority collects data in a way that would allow information about compensation awarded to victims of modern slavery to be identified.

James Brokenshire: There are currently no plans to change the way data is collected that would allow information about compensation awarded to victims of modern slavery to be identified. As explained in my earlier response of 17 September the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) cannot provide data on the compensation it has awarded to victims of a particular crime type. This is because it awards compensation in line with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme tariff of injuries rather than the type of incident that led to those injuries. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 makes both modern slavery offences - slavery, servitude and forced labour and human trafficking - “criminal lifestyle” offences, making perpetrators subject to the most robust confiscation regime available under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).

Northern Ireland Office

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of (a) 18 and (b) 19 year-olds in Northern Ireland were registered to vote on 30 June 2014; what the average number was of 18 and 19 year-olds in Northern Ireland so registered as a proportion of the mid-year population estimate made by the Office for National Statistics for 2014; and how that figure differs from (i) Electoral Commission and (ii) Cabinet Office estimates of the number of registered 18 and 19 year-olds in (A) Northern Ireland and (B) Great Britain in 2014.

Mr Ben Wallace: On 30 June 2014, the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland had (a) 19,361 18 year olds and (b) 20,746 19 year olds registered to vote. Drawing on the mid-year population estimate for 2014 published by the Office for National Statistics, this would represent 82.8% of 18-19 year olds in Northern Ireland.The Electoral Commission last assessed the completeness of the Northern Ireland electoral register in 2012 when survey sampling estimated that 51% of 18-19 year olds were registered to vote. An Electoral Commission report on the quality of the 2014 electoral registers in Great Britain assessed that 76% of 18-19 year olds were registered to vote.The Cabinet Office has not made a separate assessment of the number of 18 and 19 year olds registered in either Great Britain or Northern Ireland in this period.

Department of Health

Perinatal Mortality

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it her policy to include stillbirths in the remit of Child Death Overview Panels.

Ben Gummer: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 04 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Child Death Overview Panels are the responsibility of Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs). LSCBs in England have a responsibility under the Children Act 2004 to conduct child death reviews for all under 18s who die and who were normally resident in their area. They are required to collect and analyse information relating to the deaths in order to identify:- any cases which may also require a serious case review;- any matters affecting the safety and welfare of children in that area; and- any wider public health or safety concerns arising from a particular death or patterns of death.Stillbirths are not within their legal statutory remit set out in the Act and there are no plans to extend this remit.We are however committed to reducing the number of stillbirths and want England to achieve the lowest rate of stillbirth and neonatal death in the world. The Department is currently working in partnership with the stillbirth charity Sands, and a range of key organisations including NHS England to take forward a programme of work on stillbirth prevention. Reducing stillbirth and infant mortality and improving the safety of maternity services improvement areas for the NHS in the NHS Outcomes Framework. In addition, the Department provided start-up funding for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ ‘Each Baby Counts’ programme, which aims to reduce stillbirths, early neonatal deaths and brain injuries due to incidents in labour in the United Kingdom by 50% by 2020.NHS England has asked Baroness Julia Cumberlege to lead a major review of maternity services to modernise care for women and babies across the country, as first set out in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.

Ben Gummer: Child Death Overview Panels are the responsibility of Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs). LSCBs in England have a responsibility under the Children Act 2004 to conduct child death reviews for all under 18s who die and who were normally resident in their area. They are required to collect and analyse information relating to the deaths in order to identify:- any cases which may also require a serious case review;- any matters affecting the safety and welfare of children in that area; and- any wider public health or safety concerns arising from a particular death or patterns of death.Stillbirths are not within their legal statutory remit set out in the Act and there are no plans to extend this remit.We are however committed to reducing the number of stillbirths and want England to achieve the lowest rate of stillbirth and neonatal death in the world. The Department is currently working in partnership with the stillbirth charity Sands, and a range of key organisations including NHS England to take forward a programme of work on stillbirth prevention. Reducing stillbirth and infant mortality and improving the safety of maternity services improvement areas for the NHS in the NHS Outcomes Framework. In addition, the Department provided start-up funding for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ ‘Each Baby Counts’ programme, which aims to reduce stillbirths, early neonatal deaths and brain injuries due to incidents in labour in the United Kingdom by 50% by 2020.NHS England has asked Baroness Julia Cumberlege to lead a major review of maternity services to modernise care for women and babies across the country, as first set out in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.

Tuberculosis: Greater London

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on the London Assembly's report, Tackling TB in London, published on 27 October 2015.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not had discussions with the Mayor of London on the London Assembly’s report, Tackling TB in London. However, Ministers are regularly kept informed on progress made against the objectives of the national Tuberculosis (TB) strategy for England by Public Health England who, in turn, advise the Mayor on all health matters, including TB.

Stem Cells: Research

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for research into stem cell transplantation.

George Freeman: A wide range of research relating to stem cell transplantation is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR supports the delivery of translational medicine in this field through its biomedical research centres and units, clinical research facilities, and experimental cancer medicine centres (funded jointly with Cancer Research UK), and later phase trials through its clinical research network. Following an open competition, the NIHR is investing £15.1 million in fournew blood and transplant research units from October 2015. These units are research partnerships between universities and NHS Blood and Transplant.The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council are collectively investing £25 million in the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) to address the technical and scientific challenges associated with translating scientific discoveries towards clinical impact. The first annual report from the UKRMP was published in November 2014:www.ukrmp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/UKRMP-First-Annual-Report-2.0MB.pdfThe funding of projects to deliver regenerative medicine products that can be tested in the clinic is a key goal of Innovate UK’s regenerative medicine themed collaborative research and development competitions. In addition, Innovate UK has established the Cell Therapy Catapult with the core purpose of building a world-leading cell and gene therapy industry in the United Kingdom.

Department of Health: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold records of the number of staff who are members of a trade union. This is a matter for the trade unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time and the cost of its provision, on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

Eyesight: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for NHS policies of the use of a regional eye inspection liaison officer in Northern Ireland.

Alistair Burt: The Health and Social Care Board Northern Ireland (HSCB) have funded Eye Care Liaison Officers since 2012. The HSCB are not aware of any regional eye inspection liaison officers in Northern Ireland.In England, the Government fully appreciates the impact that sight loss can have on a person’s life and the importance of information being available for those newly diagnosed with sight loss, including signposting patients to appropriate support and rehabilitation services.Eye clinics and their staffing, including eye clinic liaison officers, are commissioned and funded by individual clinical commissioning groups on the basis of local assessments of need.

Patricia Hart

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Ms Patricia Hart was employed on a full-time basis continuously from 2011 until her retirement.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected centrally.We have written to Deborah Jenkins, Chair of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member’s enquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Patricia Hart

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for how many days Ms Patricia Hart worked on the Review of the NHS Hospitals Complaints Systems in 2013.

Ben Gummer: Professor Patricia Hart worked for 20.3 days on A Review of the NHS Hospitals Complaints System in 2013.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the meningitis B vaccine will be available for children and young people; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The MenB immunisation programme was introduced in September 2015, with the vaccine being offered to babies at 2, 4 and at 12 months of age. The vaccine is also available for the small number of older children who are at increased risk of infection, such as those with specific immune problems.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisatio (JCVI) carried out a comprehensive and careful review of a wide range of evidence in relation to MenB vaccine and did not recommend the use of MenB vaccine in other age groups, including older children.The Department, in collaboration with the JCVI and Public Health England, has identified that preparatory research is needed before the effects of MenB carriage in adolescents can be addressed. This preparatory research is in the process of being contracted and it is hoped that this work will begin in early 2016.

General Practitioners: Battersea

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of how many additional GPs will be needed to supply the Battersea-Nine Elms development; and how many such GPs are planned to be provided.

Alistair Burt: We are advised by NHS England that it is working with its co-commissioning clinical commissioning groups to assess the requirements of the new development utilising the existing infrastructure and the requirements for an estimated population of in excess of 30,000 over a 10 year plus timeframe.We understand that new models of delivery of primary care services are being investigated with an estimate of around 15 additional general practitioners required to serve the final population numbers.

Doctors: Training

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of the doctors entering core and further specialty training were in each (a) specialty and (b) training region or deanery in each year since 2005.

Ben Gummer: Neither the Department nor Health Education England hold the information requested in the format specified. To collate the data would incur disproportionate costs.

Doctors: Training

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of doctors left foundation training and entered training posts in core or specialty training in each year between 2008 and 2015.

Ben Gummer: The UK Foundation Programme Office collects data and produces reports annually on behalf of Health Education England and the devolved nations which show next career destinations of second year foundation doctors who have successfully completed their foundation training across the United Kingdom.Data prior to 2011 was not routinely collected by the UK Foundation Programme Office. Data from the 2015 destination survey is not yet available.The numbers provided in the attached table are from responses to a survey of outgoing F2 doctors and not all doctors provide a response. The appointments to specialty /general practice (ST/GP) are self-declared by the doctors in response to the survey and are not verified against recruitment data.Whilst the survey is a fairly accurate predictor of the destination of doctors who have completed foundation training the figures are not intended to be an accurate employment record.



Specialty/general practice training 2011-14
(Word Document, 28.79 KB)

Gastrointestinal System: Health Services

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many permanent gastroenterologist consultants are currently employed in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: The latest monthly workforce statistics for July 2015 which are published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that there are 1,005 full-time equivalent gastroenterologist consultants currently employed in the National Health Service in England.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 13212, by when the assurance of clinical commissioning groups' (CCG) local transformation plans by NHS England's regional teams are planned to be completed; and whether he plans that the additional £30 million that has been allocated to CCGs will be spent in full in 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: The deadline for clinical commission groups to submit their Local Transformation Plans was Friday 16 October, and plans were submitted covering all local areas. These plans are currently being assured by NHS England’s regional assurance teams and this is intended to be completed during November.The £30 million NHS England allocated to clinical commissioning groups for improving children and young people’s eating disorders is intended to be spent in 2015-16.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what equality impact assessment his Department has carried out on its proposals to reform the junior doctor contract.

Ben Gummer: NHS Employers will conduct a full impact assessment once the final proposals are developed.Individual employers are also obliged under equalities legislation to ensure all their staff receive equal pay for work of equal value, which the new contract proposals will support by linking pay increases to responsibility.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2015 to Question 7476, when he expects Public Health England and the National Offender Management Services' health needs assessment of all prisons to be (a) complete and (b) published.

Ben Gummer: Public Health England (PHE), NHS England and the National Offender Management Service commission individual health and wellbeing needs assessments (HNAs) in all prisons and young offender institutions in England on a regular basis, as part of the commissioning timetable. The current NHS England procurement timetable runs to 2017 and the current round of HNAs are commissioned to inform this.In the procurement process for prison health services, an HNA identifies health needs for which health services will becommissioned in that establishment. All prisons have produced individual HNAs and these are now at various stages of review. NHS England anticipates that each prison would need to undertake a full HNA every three to five years and to complete a low level refresh of its HNA every year. HNAs are not currently published routinely, but some are published by PHE’s regional Public Health Observatories, with details of these available at:http://www.apho.org.uk/default.aspxAll HNAs are available on request from the local NHS England Area Team commissioners.

Midwives

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of additional midwives that would be required to enable all women to receive one-to-one care from a midwife during labour.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England has responsibility for commissioning training for the National Health Service workforce and for working with NHS organisations to ensuretheright numbersof midwives are available to deliver the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, published 27 February 2015, which includes the need for every woman to have at least one registered midwife present during established labour.

NHS: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects (a) Monitor and (b) the Trust Development Authority to publish their 2015-16 second quarter performance reports.

Ben Gummer: As part of the establishment of NHS Improvement in April 2016, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority are aligning their quarterly reporting processes and will be publishing their reports together towards the end of the year.

NHS: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will itemise savings made by the NHS that have been attributable to the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Alistair Burt: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State outlined in his Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July 2015 (HCWS161), that £6.9 billion was saved through lower administration costs and has been reinvested in front line services in the last Parliament, with the Government achieving its target of reducing administration costs by a third.The saving figures are the reduction in the Department’s total administration costs against the baseline set out in the Impact Assessment for the Health and Social Care Act. They are measured at a macro level, so an itemised breakdown is not available.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: NHS 111

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he was made aware of the project undertaken by South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust in winter 2014-15 relating to prioritisation of NHS 111 calls.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he had with Monitor on South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust's project relating to the prioritisation of NHS 111 calls in winter 2014-15 before Monitor announced it was taking action on that matter.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any patients in Hove constituency were put at risk as a result of the South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust's project relating to the prioritisation of NHS 111 calls in winter 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: Departmental officials were first notified of a project which was run between December 2014 and February 2015 in the south of England on 23 October 2015 by Monitor, the independent health sector regulator.We are advised that Monitor is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertaken such investigations independently of the Department where there are no immediate patient safety issues. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review finding.In March, NHS England convened a risk summit meeting involving all partners following the suspension by South East Coast Ambulance Service of their unofficial call-handling project. It was agreed that NHS England would undertake an external investigation. The report of the investigation was published by NHS England today and is attached.



NHS England South East Coast Ambulance Report
(PDF Document, 514.73 KB)

Mental Health Services: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the weekend bed occupancy rates were in each mental health hospital in London in each weekend since 1 January 2015, taking account of patients on weekend leave.

Alistair Burt: Official statistics for average daily occupancy rates for beds open overnight, including mental health beds, are published every quarter by NHS England on its website at the following address:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2015 to Question 7500, how many vouchers were redeemed under the Growth Vouchers scheme.

Anna Soubry: As of 8 September, 6,731 vouchers had been redeemed with total value over £11m.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire on 2 November 2015 to Question UIN 13524.

Energy: Industry

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme costs his Department to administer each year.

Anna Soubry: 56 different energy intensive businesses across the UK have received a total of £131.7m in compensation since August 2013 – £65.6m in respect of the EU Emissions Trading System and £66.1m in respect of the Carbon Price Support mechanism. There is also a Climate Change Levy exemption, for energy used in metallurgical and mineralogical processes, which additionally covers a number of Energy Intensive Industries who claim EU ETS and CPS compensation.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 11 December 2013 to Question 178321, if he will place in the Library copies of all of Lord Green of Hustierpoint's updates to the European Scrutiny Committees of both Houses and the APPG for EU-US Trade and Investment on significant developments in negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry: The most recent update to the Committees, dated 6 August, has been deposited in the Libraries of the House. We will continue this practice for subsequent updates to the Committees.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what average time his Department took to respond to Freedom of Information requests in each year since 2005.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics on the timeliness of responses to Freedom of Information requests are published by Government (Table 4 of annual reports). They are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.These statistics provide the number of requests which were answered within the 20 day deadline, the number of requests where additional time was required for the consideration of public interest, and the number of late responses.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he, his ministers and his officials have had with the European Commission on the situation in the steel industry.

Anna Soubry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has engaged with the European Commission and our European partners. He has spoken with a number of European Commissioners in Brussels; Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom (Trade), Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska (Internal Market) and Vice President Jyrki Katainen (Jobs and Competitiveness), and stressed the importance of this issue. He has had positive talks with the Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on progressing the approval of the UK’s Energy Intensive Industries compensation scheme.I raised the issue with Matthias Machnig, State Secretary for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. In addition, the Secretary of State hasraised the issue with his EU counterparts, including those in Luxembourg, France, Italy and Spain. ​Hecalled for an urgent EU Council meeting on steel, and I am pleased that the Luxembourg Presidency has scheduled a Competitiveness Council on9 November specifically to discuss the EU steel industry.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what consideration his Department has given to suspending the UK's arms export licences to Saudi Arabia in the light of the conflict in Yemen.

Anna Soubry: All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Criteria.We keep all licences under review in the light of changing circumstances in countries of destination for UK arms exports, including Saudi Arabia.A political solution is the best way to bring long term stability to Yemen and to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. The UK is fully and actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve this.

Insolvency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on (a) businesses affected by pre-pack insolvencies and (b) employees of such businesses of such insolvencies.

Anna Soubry: The University of Wolverhampton undertook research as part of Teresa Graham’s June 2014 review into pre-pack administrations. This found that returns to creditors from a pre-pack were slightly lower than from non pre-packed administrations.The report also found that in about 60% of pre-pack deals all jobs were saved, and in a further 10% some jobs were saved. No data is available on the impact of the insolvency on employment at creditors of the company.A voluntary package of reforms to pre-packs, as recommended by the Graham review, was launched on 2 November with support from the insolvency industry and creditor groups. The reforms are intended to bring greater transparency and improved creditor confidence in pre-packs, and especially those in which sales are to connected parties.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Saudi Arabia

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training is provided to officials of his Department working on the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme and the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project on responding to whistleblowers from the private sector.

Mr Philip Dunne: Members of the MOD Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) and Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications (SANGCOM) Project attend a mandatory bribery and fraud awareness workshop which explains current legislation in this area, assists members to understand their responsibilities under the provisions of the legislation and identifies areas of risk of bribery and fraud within the workplace. This training highlights the statutory protection against dismissal and victimisation provided to whistleblowers under the provisions of the Public Disclosure Act 1998 and provides advice on reporting suspicious activity.

Nuclear Submarines: Iron and Steel

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to the hon. Member for Reigate to Question 12151, whether he plans for the boats built to replace the nuclear submarine fleet to be built with steel manufactured in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne: Steel for key defence programmes, including submarines, is sourced from a range of suppliers. It is the responsibility of prime contractors to obtain the steel required to complete MOD programmes at a competitive cost, within time constraints and to the required quality.I expect a range of UK suppliers and others will be invited to bid and provide steel for the Successor programme.

RAF Waddington

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington were in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster: The costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are shown in the following table:Financial YearGrand Total2010-11£1,494,929.992011-12£2,794,486.462012-13£2,503,485.612013-14£1,044,565.262014-15£18,857,704.44Grand Total£26,695,171.76The significant increase in Financial Year 2014-15 is due to the Waddington boiler replacement work, the upgrade of Single Living Accommodation, and the start of the construction phases of the reconstruction and resurfacing of the runway and hangar refurbishments.

Defence Equipment

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of the items of equipment referred to in UK Defence in Numbers, published by his Department in August 2015, are (a) not capable of use on the front line and (b) have been retired.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to UK Defence in Numbers, published by his Department in August 2015, in what capacity the seven Jet Provost training aircrafts referred to in that document may be used; and when those aircraft were last used for that purpose.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to UK Defence in Numbers, published by his Department in August 2015, how many of the 125 Tornado Combat aircraft referred to in that document are combat ready.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to UK Defence in Numbers, published by his Department in August 2015, in what capacity the four Wessex Combat support helicopters referred to in that document may be used.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Defence in Numbers booklet is a snap shot of the UK's Defence capability and how we are spending the fifth largest Defence budget in the world. As well as giving details on civilian and personnel numbers and current operations, it also includes a list of the Ministry of Defence's equipment holdings, the vast majority of which are in service and deployable. We will continue to review the Defence in Numbers booklet to ensure that it best reflects the breadth of defence equipment.The pieces of equipment listed in the Defence in Numbers booklet that are not capable for use on the front-line are: Jet provost aircraft, BAE-125 aircraft, Wessex helicopters, Challenger 1 battle tanks, FH70 Towed Howitzers and Chieftain Armoured Vehicles. These platforms are used in either a training or ceremonial capacity.Currently 90 Tornado aircraft remain in the operational fleet and are, or could be, returned to combat ready status; this number includes aircraft undergoing periodic deep maintenance and modification which are not immediately available for operational use.

NATO: Military Exercises

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assets his Department has assigned to (a) Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, (b) Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, (c) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and (d) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 since February 2015; and for how long each such asset has been so assigned.

Penny Mordaunt: Since February 2015, the UK has assigned the following assets to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1:The Sandown-class minehunter HMS PEMBROKE (from January until April); the Hunt-class minehunter HMS QUORN (from April until July); the Sandown-class minehunter HMS GRIMSBY (from August until December).Over the same period, there have been no UK vessels assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and 2 or Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2.

Seychelles: Navy

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government made of the risks associated with the deployment of Royal Navy personnel on active duty in the Seychelles.

Penny Mordaunt: Prior to any Port visit the Royal Navy reviews the latest Government threat assessment for that country and takes appropriate action to mitigate any risks to its personnel. This is as true for the Seychelles as any other location. Before personnel go ashore they are briefed about any risks they may face and they are advised on any appropriate personal security measures.

Armed Forces: Per Capita Costs

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of the service capitation rates for (a) Navy, (b) Army and (c) Air Command.

Mark Lancaster: I will place a copy of the Military Manpower Capitation Rates for financial year 2015-16 in the Library of the House, subject to the redaction of personal information.

Bahrain: Military Bases

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the running costs of the British naval base in Bahrain in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18; and what proportion of those costs will be borne by the Government.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much is planned to be spent by the (a) Government and (b) Bahraini government on the building of the new British naval base in Bahrain.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent to date on the new British naval base recently opened in Bahrain by the (a) Government and (b) Bahraini government; and what the value has been of services provided by the Bahraini government to that naval base.

Mr Julian Brazier: Currently the UK has a Maritime Component Command (MCC) HQ and collocated Fleet Support Unit (FSU), which is a warehouse,in Bahrain. These were constructed on our behalf by the United States, at a cost to the UK Government of $10million. The Government expects to pay the United States for the ongoing running costs of these facilities, the precise costs of which are yet to be determined. The Kingdom of Bahrain (KoB) has no involvement in these arrangements.The construction of the new UK Mina Salman Support Facility (MSSF) in Bahrain will consist of accommodation, life support facilities and further storage and will enhance the support to UK forces in the Gulf Region. Construction of the UK MSSF is being funded primarily by the KoB. To date in 2014 and 2015 the UK Government has expended £277,000 on engineering consultancy costs for the UK MSSF. We expect to contribute around £9 million towards the construction of the new UK MSSF. This will include costs of bespoke UK technical facilities and the additional cost of ensuring compliance with UK regulations.The balance of the costs, will fall to the KoB.There are no running costs forecast in the current year or 2016-17, from 2017-18 the running costs for the UK MSSF are forecast to be £12 million per annum.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) starter and (b) affordable homes the Government plans to build over the next five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to building 200,000 starter homes over the course of this Parliament to provide affordable homes for purchase with 20% discount are available to first time buyers under 40.The Government remains committed to delivering 275,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2020. This means we will build more new affordable homes than during any equivalent period in the last twenty years.

Affordable Housing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will change planning procedures for local authorities to speed up the construction of new affordable homes to buy.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has committed, through the Productivity Plan, to introduce a dispute resolution mechanism to speed up section 106 negotiations to enable housing and other development to be built more quickly. We intend to do this through the Housing and Planning Bill.

Communities and Local Government: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Brandon Lewis: Trade union membership levels are a matter for the trade unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-timeIn the Department for Communities and Local Government, during 2014/2015 total spend on facility time was £73,667 and 2,571 hours of facility time was claimed by trade union representatives.Facility time spend during 2015/16 (April to September) currently stands at £46,851 and 1,581 hours of facility time was claimed by trade union representatives.

Hostels: Planning Permission

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to introduce a separate planning category for hostels.

Brandon Lewis: Hostels are considered to be a class of their own. It is for the local planning authority to consider the use of a particular property based on the specific details of the individual case.

Hostels

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to introduce statutory guidance on the definition of a hostel.

Brandon Lewis: We currently have no plans to introduce statutory guidance on the definition of a hostel.We have supported local areas to improve the quality of hostels through the Homelessness Change Programme, which provided £42.5 million of capital funding in 2012 – 2015 for new and refurbished bed spaces, as well as other facilities to support a return to independent living.

Housing Associations: Public Sector

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on house building of the Office of National Statistics reclassifying housing associations as public sector bodies.

Brandon Lewis: The Office of National Statistics has concluded that housing associations should have been classified as public rather than private since 2008, due to several of the regulatory requirements imposed by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 introduced by the last Labour Government. This decision is purely a statistical change. Reclassification makes no material changes to the operation of housing associations. The Government is committed to developing deregulatory measures to help housing associations build more homes and help more people into home ownership.

Public Houses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had on the statutory pubs code, and the Government's policy on pubs, with people or bodies concerned with the pubs industry.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Scotland Office

Carbon Emissions: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in September 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in June 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in July 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in August 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in May 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

David Mundell: As indicated in my previous answers on this issue, I have had a number of meetings and discussions this year, both formal and informal, on the important issue of opencast restoration and in particular the proposal for a carbon price support exemption. These have included discussions with colleagues from HM Treasury, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Scottish Government and Local Authorities.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not hold records of how many civil servants within the Department for Transport are members of trades unions.Paid facility time is not available to all union members, it is granted to accredited representatives for the purpose of carrying out trade union duties in accordance with the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time. Between January and December 2014, the total number of hours claimed by union representatives as paid facility time was 18,572. The cost to the department was £312,813 which is approximately 0.05% of the total paybill. Prior to the reforms initiated under the previous Government, the annual cost of facility time in the department in 2011-2012 was £1.2 million. Data before 2011 was not published.

Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Railway Line

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the cost of line speed upgrade on the railway line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Claire Perry: Network Rail and the relevant train operators terminated a line speed improvement assessment in 2014. Detailed work had identified an estimated cost of up to £12.45m to clear structures for higher speed. With these costs the scheme was poor value, having a benefit cost ratio of less than 1.0. No assessment has been made since then.

RAF Northolt

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 13499, when the Civil Aviation Authority began its review of certain aspects of the safety of operations at RAF Northolt; if he will publish the full remit of the review and its conclusions; when he expects to receive the conclusions of the review; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) began its review in July in order to respond to several points raised in a letter from Biggin Hill Airport dated 8 July 2015.The CAA has now concluded the review and I understand, will communicate the results directly to Biggin Hill Airport shortly.

Driving: Qualifications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current shortage of Certificate of Professional Competence qualified drivers is for the logistics industry; and what the shortage forecast for such drivers is expected to be in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18.

Andrew Jones: Government data (the Office of National Statistics Labour Force Survey) estimates there are 299,000 large goods vehicle drivers, up 40,000 on 2013. Other people require Certificates of Professional Competence to drive large goods vehicles as part of other jobs or to drive public service vehicles. The Department for Transport has not estimated or forecast the shortage of large goods vehicle drivers, although it recognises there is a significant shortage and is aware of industry estimates of its size.Prior to the introduction of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) the department has worked closely with stakeholders who provided estimates of how many Driver Qualification Cards (DQCs) it was necessary to issue to professional drivers in order to ensure continuity of service. Estimates provided ranged from 500,000 to 750,000. The department has now issued over 900,000 DQCs and continues to work with the logistics sector’s representative groups to support them in creating industry-led solutions to any potential shortage of professional drivers.

East Anglia Railway Line

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that the bidding process for the Great Eastern Main Line franchise includes increased service frequency and improved train capacity.

Claire Perry: As with all competitions, after running a public consultation to help specify services, we have published the Invitation To Tender which sets out the minimum service specifications for the next East Anglia franchise. This asks bidders to set out detailed proposals on what improvements for passengers they will deliver. This approach allowsbidders the flexibility to design the best way of delivering or exceeding those specifications.

Motor Vehicles

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) passenger vehicles, (b) vans, (c) public service vehicles and (d) heavy goods vehicles are licensed; and how many vehicles in each such category (i) use petrol, (ii) use diesel and (iii) are hybrid.

Andrew Jones: The numbers of licensed vehicles in the categories requested are shown in the table below.Licensed vehicles of selected types of propulsion type in the UK as at 30 June 2015Vehicle Body TypePetrolDieselHybridOtherTotalPassenger Vehicles19068921159213422382595630944434Vans14143518023122143283673873Public Service Vehicles48511641071504169463Heavy Goods Vehicles253749881601085502438Notes: 1. Vehicle types shown are based on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency vehicle body type definitions:Passenger vehicles = cars; Vans =Light Goods with a gross weight of up to and including 3.5 tonnes; Heavy Goods Vehicles = Goods vehicles with a gross weight of over 3.5 tonnes;Public Service Vehicles = Buses and Coaches (including minibuses with 9-16 seats)2. Hybrid vehicles may be under-recorded for Public Service Vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles: other includes gas and electric

Driving: Qualifications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of acquiring a Certificate in Professional Competence on access to such certificates for young people.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has not made any assessments on the effect of the cost of acquiring a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) on access to such Certificates for young people.In order to allow newly qualified drivers to gain experience, the department allows those who have passed the theory test (module one) and practical driving test (module three) to enrol on an approved National Vocational Training (NVT) programme and defer taking the Driver CPC theory and practical tests. This allows a driver to work professionally for up to 12 months whilst working towards a Driver CPC qualification.

Driving: Qualifications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses in the Humber area of the shortage of Certificate of Professional Competence qualified drivers.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has not made any assessment on the economic effect of a potential driver shortage specific to the Humber area.

Driving: Qualifications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the economic cost of the shortage of Certificate of Professional Competence qualified drivers.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has not made an estimate on the economic effect of a potential driver shortage. It is aware of extensive reports about pressures on wages, the recruitment of drivers from outside the UK and delayed deliveries.

Roads

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the respective roles of (a) Highways England and (b) its proposed programme management partner in the delivery of the Road Investment Strategy Programme.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Highways England on the appointment of a programme management partner; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what framework of work Highways England is negotiating with the CH2M Hill/Mace/PwC consortium.

Andrew Jones: The government is tripling the capital investment in the Strategic Road Network. Highways England have been given responsibility for delivery of the Road Investment Strategy and operation of the network.A four year term contract was tendered competitively by Highways England to a consortium consisting of CH2M Hill, Mace and PwC (CMP) in early July 2015 to help provide additional support to improve their capability and available resources to deliver an increasingly demanding and complex programme.This has no impact on the role, responsibilities and requirements of Highways England.

Department for Transport: Subscriptions

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what publications his private office subscribes to.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport’s Private Office does not subscribe to any publications.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) his Department's and (b) HS2 Ltd's capital and resource expenditure has been on High Speed 2 in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd’s capital and resource expenditure on High Speed 2 in each year since 2009-10 is:£ million2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16*DfT (High Speed Rail Group)Resource001.65.314.821.510.1Capital09.619.723.1105.3180.946.8HS2 Ltd Resource9.414.633.9176.4210.032.815.5Capital0.030.10.48.12.9155.0155.7Total DfT/HS2 Ltd9.4324.355.6212.9333.1390.2228.1* Figures for 2015 – 16 are year to date up to end September 2015.

Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 13286, whether any additional projects have been paused but not announced by Network Rail.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State announced on 25 June 2015 the pause of work on Midland Main Line electrification and TransPennine electrification. This was to avoid potentially abortive costs while work was carried out to replan the delivery of these projects. On 30 September 2015 work on these projects resumed.Other Network Rail Control Period 5 projects have been continuing while Sir Peter Hendy carries out his review.

Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2015 to Question 4759, if he will update the benefit-cost ratio for Great Western electrification given in that Answer to reflect the revised cost estimate for that electrification project confirmed in oral evidence by Mark Carne of the Committee of Public Accounts, on Network Rail: planning and delivery of 2014-19 rail investment programme, HC473, Q1, on 21 October 2015.

Claire Perry: The Department and Network Rail are updating business cases as part of the Hendy Review Process. Network Rail is continuing to examine the deliverability and potential scheduling of Great Western works following which the benefit cost ratio for the programme will be updated.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on security of Médecins Sans Frontières clinics in areas of conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is essential that there is a rigorous process to determine the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the Médecins Sans Frontières trauma centre in Kunduz in order to prevent something like this occurring again. We await the conclusions of the investigations currently being undertaken by NATO and by the Governments of the United States and Afghanistan, and any lessons that these offer. The UK Government has high regard for Médecins Sans Frontières and the work they undertake around the world.We are also aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition - including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure - and take them very seriously. We have raised our concerns with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and have received repeated assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances. We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh forces, including the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes; and the targeting of aid workers and restrictions on humanitarian access. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will undertake a review into how his Department advises British citizens on the ethical rating of nations in line with performing to international standards on the illegal wildlife trade.

James Duddridge: The UK plays a leading role in encouraging countries to take action to stop poaching of endangered species and to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products. For example, the UK drafted both the London Declaration from the London Conference on IWT in 2014 and the Kasane Statement from the Botswana Conference of March 2015 to push countries into committing themselves to ambitious actions to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. A review was compiled for the Botswana Conference showing progress by countries on the commitments to action agreed at London. These documents have been made publicly available on www.gov.uk.

Sustainable Development: Public Appointments

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will work with his international counterparts to request that the UN Secretary General appoint a Special Envoy for Sustainable Development.

James Duddridge: Effective follow up and implementation of the now-agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the UK’s top priorities at the United Nations. We continue to discuss this with the UN Secretary General, the wider UN system, and Member States. It would need to be clear what value any new UN special envoy would add to existing UN activity before the UK advocated such an idea, over and above existing sustainable development activities.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic staff whose work includes tackling the illegal wildlife trade are based in (a) China, (b) Vietnam, (c) Laos, (d) Malaysia, (e) Botswana, (f) Mozambique, (g) Gabon, (h) South Africa, (i) Thailand and (j) India.

James Duddridge: The numbers requested of diplomatic staff whose work includes illegal wildlife trade are as follows:China - 5Vietnam- 3Laos- 2 Malaysia – 1Botswana -2 Mozambique- 2 Gabon -2 South Africa -2 Thailand- 2 India -1In most cases our diplomatic staff in these Posts spend a proportion of their overall time on this issue and are supported by locally engaged staff who also work on tackling illegal wildlife trade.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are unable to provide the number of Union affiliated Civil Servants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as there is no requirement for union members to declare their membership to an employer and since April 2015 we no longer collect trade union subscriptions through the payroll.The FCO submits Quarterly Returns to the Cabinet Office setting out the amount of facility time taken and cost to the pay bill. The Cabinet Office publish these statistics annually, listing the individual departments.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418380/Annex_A_-_Facility_Time_Figures_Q1_2014-Q4_2014_Overall.ods

UN Resolutions: Terrorism

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with NATO and EU governments on implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 on foreign terrorist fighters.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ministers and officials consistently call for all states to implement fully the recommendations of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2178 on foreign terrorist fighters, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.Experts from the UK have presented at technical sessions of the Counter-ISIL Coalition, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee and the EU, discussing our work in this area and the implementation and passing of legislation in line with recommendations contained in UNSCR 2178 to combat this threat.

Communications

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of capacity building assistance in the area of strategic communications for (a) Georgia, (b) Moldova, (c) Ukraine and (d) other NATO partner countries.

Mr David Lidington: Her Majesty's Government has provided expert strategic communications advice to the Governments of Georgia and Ukraine, and to NATO.The UK has worked with the Governments of Georgia and Ukraine to help them develop strategic communications strategies and plan campaigns focusing on their reform efforts.We have also provided strategic communications training and support to the NATO HQ Strategic Communications Team to improve NATO strategic communications.Assessment by recipients and partners of our support is very positive. I share this assessment.

Ukraine: Aviation

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Russian authorities about an international tribunal to investigate the destruction of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

Mr David Lidington: I wrote to the Russian Ambassador to the UK in July, prior to the vote in the UN Security Council on a Resolution to establish an international tribunal which would prosecute those found responsible from the criminal investigation into the downing of MH17. I made it clear that there must be accountability for this crime and we expected all UN Security Council Members to cooperate. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also raised this issue with their Russian counterparts both in London and in Moscow and will continue to do so.

Ukraine

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had about access to all areas of East Ukraine for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.

Mr David Lidington: For the Minsk peace process to succeed, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors must be given full and unhindered access to east Ukraine. I discussed implementation of the Minsk Agreements in detail with Prime Minister Yatseniuk, Foreign Minister Klimkin and OSCE Special Representative Martin Sadjik when I visited Ukraine between 6-8 October. I also raise access for OSCE monitors regularly with the Russian Ambassador to the UK, most recently in June 2015. We also continue to raise it as a point of priority when discussing Ukraine with bilateral partners and in multilateral fora including the EU, OSCE and the UN.

Andargachew Tsege

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the consistency with domestic Ethiopian and international law on the right to a fair trial of the sentences imposed on Andargachew Tsege by the Ethiopian authorities in 2009 and 2011.

James Duddridge: The Government remains deeply concerned by the continued detention of Mr Andargachew Tsege. Extensive Ministerial lobbying resulted in Mr Tsege’s transfer to a normal federal prison in July. The Prime Minister wrote to the Ethiopian Prime Minister on 17 August welcoming this move, emphasising that this should allow regular consular access, and visits by Mr Tsege’s family. The release of video footage of Mr Tsege in July 2014 and January 2015 was not raised in the letter. We continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for improvements to Mr Tsege’s welfare and to provide a legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention, including its consistency with domestic and international law. My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has raised this case on 17 separate occasions with the Ethiopians.

Andargachew Tsege

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what concerns he raised in his letter of 17 August 2015 to his Ethiopian counterpart on the release of videos of Andargachew Tsege in custody.

James Duddridge: The Government remains deeply concerned by the continued detention of Mr Andargachew Tsege. Extensive Ministerial lobbying resulted in Mr Tsege’s transfer to a normal federal prison in July. The Prime Minister wrote to the Ethiopian Prime Minister on 17 August welcoming this move, emphasising that this should allow regular consular access, and visits by Mr Tsege’s family. The release of video footage of Mr Tsege in July 2014 and January 2015 was not raised in the letter. We continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for improvements to Mr Tsege’s welfare and to provide a legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention, including its consistency with domestic and international law. My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has raised this case on 17 separate occasions with the Ethiopians.

Andargachew Tsege

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what requests were made in his letter of 17 August 2015 to his Ethiopian counterpart on the detention of Andargachew Tsege.

James Duddridge: The Government remains deeply concerned by the continued detention of Mr Andargachew Tsege. Extensive Ministerial lobbying resulted in Mr Tsege’s transfer to a normal federal prison in July. The Prime Minister wrote to the Ethiopian Prime Minister on 17 August welcoming this move, emphasising that this should allow regular consular access, and visits by Mr Tsege’s family. The release of video footage of Mr Tsege in July 2014 and January 2015 was not raised in the letter. We continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for improvements to Mr Tsege’s welfare and to provide a legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention, including its consistency with domestic and international law. My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has raised this case on 17 separate occasions with the Ethiopians.

Mustafa Barghouti

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Israeli authorities on the attempted murder of the Palestinian activist, Mustafa Barghouti.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Palestinian, rather than Israeli, security forces are responsible for security in Ramallah, and have opened an investigation into the attack. Our Consul-General to Jersualem spoke to Dr Barghouti following the attack to relay our concern. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said in a press statement on 9 October, "We condemn all acts of violence, including attacks by Palestinian and by Israeli settlers. We urge all sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the tensions and avoid actions that threaten to exacerbate the situation."

Bahrain: Overseas Aid

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) targets and (b) goals the Bahraini authorities have been asked to work towards in the reform programmes in that country funded by his Department; and what progress has been made towards achieving those goals.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government of Bahrain set out its own programme of reforms to implement the recommendations of Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry in 2011 and to respond to recommendations made at the UN Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain’s human rights situation. Our assistance supports Bahrain’s reform programme and is focussed on strengthening human rights and the rule of law. We welcome progress made in areas including: youth justice; the establishment and increasing effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office, the Prisoner and Detainees’ Rights Commission and the reformed National Institute of Human Rights. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis.

Bahrain: Overseas Aid

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK funding of Bahraini reform programmes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We believe that UK support to Bahrain’s reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results of much of this work, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern. All FCO programmes and project work is routinely monitored and evaluated to inform and improve future assistance.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 12951, whether all directly employed and contracted staff of his Department are contractually permitted to write to him about their employment conditions or pay without having investigatory proceedings instigated against them.

Mr Philip Hammond: Staff directly employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) may write to me on any issue without investigatory proceedings being instigated against them. The FCO obliges its contractors to adhere to all employment legislation and encourages its contractors to have appropriate measures in place to manage its employees. No disciplinary measures were taken against Interserve cleaners who wrote to me.

South East Asia: Fires

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the effects of the recent fires in Indonesia and neighbouring countries; and what steps he he has taken to ascertain whether any UK companies are responsible for those fires.

Mr Philip Hammond: We maintain a regular dialogue with the government of Indonesia, governments of affected neighbouring countries and environmental experts about the fires and their impact. While experts agree the fires are man-made, we are not aware of the involvement of any UK companies. We are working with Indonesian NGOs and the government to help them monitor, prevent and take action on fires, whether they occur on land owned by Indonesian or foreign entities.The UK’s Forest Land-use And Governance (FLAG) programme in Indonesia is funding longer-term fire prevention work through civil society, private sector and government, focusing on transparency, accountability and spatial planning to resolve the land governance issues that lead to fires.

Syria: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much the Government has (a) spent to date and (b) allocated for future spending to (i) his Department, (ii) the Department for International Development and (iii) the UNHCR to identify people for the vulnerable Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons representatives from Syria were not invited to the peace talks in Vienna commencing on 20 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The US convened discussions in Vienna on 30 October with a view to binding key international players into a process. All participants agreed that any process must involve Syrians, noting in the communiqué that: “This political process will be Syrian led and Syrian owned, and the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria.” The UN has been asked to launch a new political process which will involve all the relevant representatives from Syria.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international partners on Syrian representation at the talks in Vienna on 30 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: At the Vienna talks on 30 October Foreign Ministers discussed the crucial role of the Syrians in any political process. The UN has been asked to launch a new political process which will convene Syrian representatives for a political process on future governance, a new constitution and elections. As the Vienna Communiqué noted: “This political process will be Syrian led and Syrian owned, and the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria.”

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the government of Saudi Arabia on ending the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 28 October. He discussed the need for accelerating the political process in Yemen and humanitarian issues, particularly the importance of ensuring sustained access for shipping. The UK is actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and return to the political transition in Yemen. The UK has provided £85 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Syria: Armed Conflic

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the conflict in Syria. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion aid in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second biggest bilateral donor after the United States. We are exploring with the UN and other major donors how best to ensure that the momentum on fund-raising is maintained over the longer term, including how to respond to the 2016 Appeals, once these have been issued. The UK has provided £6.7m for the Syrian civil defence teams (known as ‘White Helmets’) to carry out search and rescue, fire fighting and First Aid in besieged areas. They have saved over 14,840 lives since March 2013. We are also working with other international donors to establish and build up the Free Syrian Police, a moderate police force in opposition-controlled areas in Syria. We are also taking action internationally. The UK co-sponsored and lobbied hard for UN Security Council Resolutions 2165 and 2191 which enable the UN to deliver aid across borders, without the consent of the regime, to assist those in the hardest to reach areas. By 31 August 2015, the UN and its partners had delivered 175 convoys of aid cross-border.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to address the political crisis in Syria before March 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are closely involved in international efforts to facilitate a political solution to the conflict in Syria. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) attended discussions convened by US Secretary Kerry in Vienna on 30 October, which may be the begining of a political process in Syria.Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again within two weeks. The UK will fully support this process including by hosting ministerial or official-level meetings. We are supporting the moderate Syrian opposition to ensure they are represented in the political process. Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the Foreign Office is also providing a broad range of support to Syrians inside Syria on peace building, governance, human rights, and civil society issues.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to use its membership of the UN Security Council to facilitate diplomatic negotiations on the protection of civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare, and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating Resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people. The UK is the second largest bilateral donor, providing over £1.1 billion to those most in need in Syria and neighbouring countries. This is our largest ever response to a crisis. The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement based upon the principles of the Geneva Communiqué. We continue to pursue this objective, including through the new political process which began in Vienna on 30 October.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of Pakistan in securing justice for people killed in the 2007 Mumbai attacks.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a deplorable act of terrorism in which a British national was amongst the 166 innocent people killed. Many hundreds of others were seriously wounded. Given the gravity of those horrific events, the UK Government is deeply concerned by the release on bail of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, one of the alleged planners, in April. Pakistan has committed to bring to justice the perpetrators and sponsors, and we continue to urge Pakistan at the highest levels to follow through on that commitment.The UK Government recognises that Pakistan is on the frontline of terrorism, and continues to make considerable sacrifices on a daily basis. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle the scourge of violent extremism which threatens both our interests. It is essential for stability in the South Asia region and for the safety of UK nationals that Pakistan delivers on its commitment to tackle all terrorist groups.

Department for International Development

West Africa: Ebola

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that protective clothing is provided to hospital workers treating victims of Ebola in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Liberia.

Justine Greening: There are currently no active cases in either of the countries. However, DFID continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and international partners to maintain and develop the systems, structures and capabilities needed to respond effectively should they be needed. Measures to protect healthcare workers and other frontline responders from infection are an important element of this preparedness. DFID has provided Personal Protective Equipment compliant with WHO standards to all of our UK funded facilities throughout this epidemic via our dedicated supply chain.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department takes to ensure that overseas development aid spent via the EU is used for its intended purposes.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID officials sit on the management committees of the European Development Fund (EDF) and the Development Cooperation Instrument where they scrutinise EU programming to ensure it is well placed to achieve its development aims. DFID country offices also regularly engage with the EU delegations in-country on their development programming. DFID also uses EU audit systems (including the European Court of Auditors’ annual report which is scrutinised by Parliament) to dissect EU spend.The UK has strongly pushed for the introduction of a results framework and the Commission has now published its new framework, providing transparency about what is being achieved and accountability for the money spent. The first publication of results is expected by the end of 2015. The Results Framework has a similar design to that of DFID and other international donors – and will allow more rigorous scrutiny. The UK also secured significant improvements in the Implementing Regulations of EDF 11 which has improved the quality of programme documents and the availability of results data, which will feed into the new results framework. DFID continues to push for more effective programming, monitoring and evaluation, as well as enhanced transparency.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the World Health Organisation's Global Tuberculosis Report 2015, published on 28 October 2015, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of that report; and what steps her Department is taking to contribute to the global eradication of tuberculosis.

Grant Shapps: We welcome the publication of the World Health Organisation’s Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2015, which reports on the challenges and achievements that have been made in tackling this terrible disease. The report highlights the threat of drug-resistant TB and makes the case for new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines to achieve the targets in the End TB Strategy.The UK Government continues to be committed to tackling this disease, which was demonstrated by our support for the new Global Goal for Good Health and Well-Being. This includes helping to increase the access to, and use of, effective diagnostics and treatment of TB, including drug resistant TB. The UK delivers on its commitment through different channels, including supporting research and product development into more effective diagnosis, treatment and vaccines; helping countries to strengthen health systems to deliver quality TB programmes; and through our support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and UNITAID. The Global Fund has enabled 13.2 million people to receive TB treatment since 2002.

Developing Countries: Roads

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage the European Commission and the World Bank to promote road safety in their infrastructure funding; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Road traffic injuries cost developing countries an estimated 1-2% of their gross national product, equivalent to over US$100 billion annually, with a widening of the disparity between advanced and developing countries. Road accidents kill an estimated 1.3 million people and injure up to 78 million people each year.DFID is committed to supporting the international community to reach the Sustainable Developments Goals, including Goal 11 which includes improving Road Safety as one of its targets.DFID recently increased its funding to the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) hosted at the World Bank and will contribute £4.5 million between 2013 and 2017. The GRSF provides funding, knowledge, and technical assistance that lever road safety investments into transport sector programmes.We also work with the European Commission through the Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund for financing transport projects. Through our role on the Global Road Safety Facility and our work on transport with Multilateral Development Banks we require all such projects to include stronger components on road safety.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to promote steps to tackle HIV/Aids; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The UK remains firmly committed to the Sustainable Development Goals agreed in New York in September, including the target to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. We are already working towards this goal not only through our substantial support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, but also through our work with UNITAID and the Clinton Health Access Initiative to make testing and treatment more accessible and affordable.We will continue to concentrate on the critical gaps in reducing new infections, particularly among women and girls and key affected populations while continuing to address the barriers that limit access to treatment. These include strengthening health systems and tackling the broader structural drivers of the HIV epidemic such as stigma and discrimination, and gender inequality.

Liberia: Health Services

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support women's reproductive healthcare in Liberia.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since 2008 DFID has been supporting the Government of Liberia to deliver health services and has committed over £28m. This includes an additional £6m funding announced at the UN conference on post-Ebola recovery in July 2015.Roughly half of our funding is specifically targeted towards health services for women and children, including during pregnancy and for childbirth, and to purchase drugs including contraceptives and other family planning products.

Syria: Refugees

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government plans to take, other than by offering support to other countries in the region, to ensure that the UK meets its international obligations to refugees from the conflict in Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is at the forefront of the response to the Syrian crisis and has committed over £1.1 billion to date. This makes us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. We continue to play a leading role in encouraging the international community to contribute generously to the UN appeals. We are exploring with the UN and major donors how best to ensure that the momentum on fund-raising is maintained in the longer term, including in response to the upcoming 2016 Appeals.The conflict raises significant protection concerns for civilians. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to respect International Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for impartial humanitarian agencies to provide vital assistance to those in need.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress the Government has made on providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: On 27 September 2015, the Secretary of State announced an additional £20 million for humanitarian assistance to Yemen, bringing our overall contribution for 2015-16 to £75 million and making the UK the 4th largest bilateral donor to Yemen crisis.UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response.

Development Banks

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which funding proposals developed by multilateral development banks her Department voted against in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Multilateral development banks consider many hundreds of funding proposals each year. The UK decides on its voting position taking account of development impact and value for money. We are ready to vote against projects where they do not meet the required standards.

Development Banks

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department plans to spend through multilateral development banks in the next three years; how much her Department spent through such banks in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The table below shows DFID’s spend on core contributions to multilateral development banks in the last five financial years.(£ Thousands)2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/151,128,2001,295,6001,280,1001,473,1001,689,200Spending plans for the next five years will be determined following the outcome of the Spending Review allocation to DFID and the subsequent business planning exercise.

Yemen: Ports

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12777, what assessment she has made of whether each party to the conflict is taking reasonable steps to allow access to Yemen's ports for (a) fuel for civilian use and (b) other commercial and humanitarian goods.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK welcomes the improvement in access for commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen’s ports over the last two weeks. In October, a total of 60 ships of all types entered Yemeni ports, including grain ships, fuel tankers, and humanitarian ships. We will continue to work with the Coalition and the Government of Yemen to ensure this improvement is sustained.We will also continue to call on all parties to the conflict to safeguard key infrastructure, including airports, sea ports, fuel distribution sites and major access routes into Yemen; and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Department for Education

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13005, whether the decrease in the take-up of free school meals includes children now entitled to universal infant free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The figures provided in response to Question 13005 include all benefits-related claims for free school meals. The figures include infants for whom a claim for benefits-related free school meals has been made, but do not include other infants.

Department for Education: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in her Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to her Department.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold records on how many civil servants are members of a trade union.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to civil service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 and is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

Teachers: Recruitment

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers her Department has recruited through its STEM international recruitment programme.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with how many headteachers currently recruiting teachers internationally her Department is discussing its STEM international recruitment programme.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the budget is of her Department's STEM international recruitment programme.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the target countries are of her Department's STEM international recruitment programme; and how many teachers have been recruited from each target country.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with how many headteachers who would like to recruit teachers through its STEM international recruitment programme her Department is discussing that programme.

Nick Gibb: Schools have always been able to recruit teachers from overseas. Outstanding mathematics and physics teachers are in demand across the globe, and where schools wish to recruit from overseas we want to ensure they are able to do so and from those countries whose education standards are as high as our own.The Department for Education is committed to ensuring that schools are able to recruit appropriately to fill their teacher vacancies. We are working to grow a strong pipeline of teachers from within the UK and have a package of measures in place to support both recruitment of trainees and retention of existing teachers.The Department for Education recently embarked on an additional £67 million package of measures to target recruitment of 2,500 additional specialist maths and physics teachers and up-skill 15,000 existing non specialist teachers in these subjects. The vast majority of these additional 2,500 teachers will come from within the UK, but the government recognises the valuable contribution made by overseas trained teachers particularly for certain shortage subjects. Therefore a small part of the package is focused on supporting schools to recruit internationally for qualified maths and physics teachers where necessary.

Education

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to facilitate regular engagement with her counterparts in the devolved administrations on policy development.

Nick Gibb: Officials hold regular meetings with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on different policy areas. Officials discuss and coordinate international issues where policy is reserved.

Respite Care: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to secure continued funding for the Short Breaks pathfinder initiative.

Edward Timpson: The Short Breaks pathfinder initiative was part of Aiming High for Disabled Children and ran in 21 local authorities from 2008. Since the pathfinder initiative, funding has been provided to support short breaks provision in all English local authorities. For example, between 2011-12 and 2014-15, short breaks were supported by £800m in the Early Intervention Grant. In 2011-12, and again in 2012-13, local authorities benefitted from an additional £40m per annum of capital funding for short break services.Since 2011, local authorities have also been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available; how they are responding to the needs of local parent carers; and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.This year, the Department for Education has awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing and taking up short breaks for disabled children.

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of recruitment levels of new teachers; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Teaching continues to be a popular career; there are now more teachers in England’s classrooms than ever before. In November 2014 there were 454,900 full time equivalent teachers, an increase of 5,200 from the previous year and 13,100 from 2010.Data from the end of the recruitment cycle showed that we exceeded our target for the recruitment of primary teachers, and made good progress in secondary recruitment, including in several key subjects like English, mathematics, physics and chemistry, where recruitment finished ahead of the previous year.We recognise that teacher recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging as the economy continues to strengthen and competition for new graduates intensifies, which is why we are focused on attracting more top graduates and career changers into the profession, particularly in those core academic subjects that help children reach their potential. We have recently announced a package of generous financial incentives for the next recruitment round; this includes tax-free bursaries worth up to £30,000 and the opportunity to earn a salary whilst training.

Department for Education: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of senior civil servants in her Department attended (a) non-selective state schools, (b) state selective schools, (c) independent schools, fee assisted and (d) independent schools, not fee assisted.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect or hold this information.

Primary Education: Assessments

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans for her Department's reception baseline assessment to take account of pupils that move school.

Nick Gibb: When a pupil moves school, their reception baseline outcome will move with them. The Key Stage 2 outcome will be compared to the outcomes of all pupils nationally who had the same attainment in reception in order to determine how much relative progress the pupil has made. The progress outcome for the school will be created from the average relative progress of all its pupils.The government response to the primary assessment and accountability consultation can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/297595/Primary_Accountability_and_Assessment_Consultation_Response.pdf

Primary Education: Assessments

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how long a pupil must be present at a school to be included in its reception baseline assessment.

Nick Gibb: The reception baseline assessment is administered within the first half-term of a pupil starting in reception. Information on reception baseline criteria can be found online at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/415142/Baseline_criteria.pdf

University Technical Colleges

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to the Baker Dearing Trust in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

University Technical Colleges

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils (a) in each age group were enrolled at each university technical college (UTC) in the 2014-15 academic year and (b) were enrolled in each UTC in September 2015.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 05 November 2015



Figures for the number of pupils enrolled in each UTC by age group are available in the underlying data of the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015 statistics’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015The figures for the numbers of pupils enrolled in each UTC for the academic year 2015/16 are not yet available.

Leader of the House

Leader of the House of Commons: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Leader of the House, how many civil servants in his Office are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Office.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matt Hancock) on 4 November 2015, to Question UIN 13734.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin) on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524.

Local Press: Non-domestic Rates

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many responses have been received to his Department's consultation on business rate relief for local newspapers; and if he will extend that relief to local magazine publishers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation with the Department forCommunities and Local Government.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what response he has made to the findings of the report by the National Audit Office of January 2015 on the Superfast (Rural) Broadband Programme: update, that BT had overstated its claims for the costs of rolling out superfast broadband by 38 per cent.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The National Audit Office (NAO) report of January 2015 showed that in September 2014, BT had spent at least 25% less than its contracted forecast cost once work in progress was taken into account. Our contract with BT has ensured that any underspend at the end of project delivery will be available for local authorities to make further investment in broadband networks. This positive outcome has been praised by the Major Projects Authority, which concluded in autumn 2014 that BDUK’s open book accounting process to keep BT's costs in check was an exemplar of best practice.

World Heritage Sites

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with UNESCO on ensuring that world heritage sites (a) are protected from development by extraction industries and (b) encourage eco-tourism.

Tracey Crouch: Officials from DCMS regularly meet with UNESCO, and discuss a range of issues covered in the Department's portfolio.This Government is committed to theprotectionofCulturalHeritage here and abroad.

Broadband

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the delivery of superfast broadband to the remaining five per cent of properties which do not have access to it in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England.

Mr Edward Vaizey: By2017, approximately 95 per cent of homes and businesses in Northamptonshire will have access to superfast broadband. To support further delivery, a further £1.9 million of funding has been made available through the contractual gainshare arrangements, and Northamptonshire County Council has further funding available beyond this for additional procurement.In addition, the Government is supporting seven pilot projects to help deliver superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK. We will publish the findings from the pilots in duecourse.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The department does not hold record of this

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to her Department.

George Eustice: The number of civil servants in the Core-Department, who are members of a trade union, is matter for the unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to the Civil Service facility on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

Dairy Farming

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the European Commission on difficulties faced by milk farmers because of the low price of milk.

George Eustice: UK Ministers and officials have regularly drawn the Commission’s attention to the difficulties facing UK dairy farmers. The Commission has listened to the concerns raised by the UK and other Member States and has introduced a €500m package of targeted support for EU farmers. The UK has been allocated the equivalent of £26.2m as part of this aid package and this will be shared between dairy farmers on the basis of their milk production. Northern Irish farmers will receive a boosted payment in recognition of the very low prices in Northern Ireland. Payments are expected to be made in December 2015.

Agriculture

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects work on a long-term strategy for UK food and farming to conclude; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: We are due to publish our 25 year plan for British food and farming early in 2016.

Food Supply

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the most significant key risks to the UK's food security; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Food supply is one of the UK’s critical national infrastructures and Defra produces an annual sector resilience plan as lead Government Department.The UK food sector has a highly effective and resilient food supply chain, owing to the size, geographic diversity and competitive nature of the industry. The resilience of the sector has been demonstrated by the response to potentially disruptive challenges in recent years, although it is dependent on other critical services such as fuel, energy, transport and communications. The Government and industry work together closely to identify and mitigate risks and ensure the continued resilience of food supply.The Government is developing a 25 year food and farming plan to further grow our food and farming industry. We want to export more and produce more for the domestic market. We aim to improve productivity and profitability through greater efficiency, the deployment of new technology and by building on the strong international reputation of British food at home and abroad.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

George Eustice: No estimate of value has been made as there were no reported losses or thefts of stationery from the Department in the last five fiscal years.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the amount the EU will pay farmers in the UK in 2015.

George Eustice: In 2015, the UK has been allocated a total of €4 billion in CAP funds.In pounds sterling, based on the average European Central Bank exchange rate for September used for calculating direct payments, this equates to a total of £2.9 billion. Of this amount, £2.3 billion is allocated to Pillar 1 direct payments and £620 million to Pillar 2 rural development.

Fly-grazing

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle illegal fly grazing in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England.

George Eustice: The Control of Horses Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) came into force on 26 May and specifically applies to horses that are fly-grazing or abandoned on another person’s land. Under the 2015 Act, local authorities and private owners and occupiers of land are able to deal with fly-grazing or abandoned horses more quickly and effectively. Specifically, it permits the disposal of such horses after 4 working days from detention, rather than the 14 days currently prescribed by the previous law. The 2015 Act applies to the whole of England.

Burbots

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether burbots are extinct within the UK.

George Eustice: Burbot were last reported in the UK in the early 1970s and the species has not been recorded since in the British Isles.Various factors are likely to have contributed to the demise of the species, including the impacts of climate and environmental change. However, a precise cause remains unclear.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Stewart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect on air quality of levels of emissions from motor vehicles.

Elizabeth Truss: We have been open about the difference between real world and laboratory testing for diesel cars and our modelling takes into account the gap between laboratory testing and real world emissions. The UK government is committed to taking action on emissions testing. We see real world testing as the ultimate solution and a vital step in tackling air pollution. The vote to introduce RDE in 2017 is an important milestone but we will continue to press at EU level for a comprehensive approach to emissions testing to restore consumer confidence and deliver our wider air quality and climate objectives.

Food

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote regional food and drink.

Elizabeth Truss: Defra launched the Great British Food campaign this week to promote food and drink entrepreneurs from across the UK at home and abroad.Through the Food and Drink International Action Plan we have supported over 4,000 businesses and opened 130 new markets.

Dairy Products: Prices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that dairy farmers receive a fair and sustainable price for their produce.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

It is in everyone’s interest that all operators in the supply chain should receive a fair price for their goods. That means sharing the risk across the supply chain and I am pleased that some retailers already do this.The EU Commission has listened to our calls for further action here and agreed to establish a new High Level Group to focus on a number of issues, including the relationship between farmers and retailers.The Government has introduced the Grocery Code Adjudicator to ensure fair dealing and we encourage supermarkets to offer contracts linked to production costs. In addition we pressed the EU to make available a support fund and the average farmer in England and Wales will receive a payment of around £1800 to ease the pressure on their cashflow.

George Eustice: It is in everyone’s interest that all operators in the supply chain should receive a fair price for their goods. That means sharing the risk across the supply chain and I am pleased that some retailers already do this.The EU Commission has listened to our calls for further action here and agreed to establish a new High Level Group to focus on a number of issues, including the relationship between farmers and retailers.The Government has introduced the Grocery Code Adjudicator to ensure fair dealing and we encourage supermarkets to offer contracts linked to production costs. In addition we pressed the EU to make available a support fund and the average farmer in England and Wales will receive a payment of around £1800 to ease the pressure on their cashflow.

Pollinators

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Pollinator Strategy since its publication in November 2014.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

We have established a programme of research to accurately assess our effectiveness, including a national framework for monitoring of pollinators. Over half of mid–tier applications to Countryside Stewardship contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme makes provisions for assessing the impact on pollinators. The Implementation Plan sets out details on progress with the Strategy and will be published shortly.We have established a programme of research to accurately assess the effectiveness of our pollinator strategy. Over half of mid-tier applications to the new Countryside Stewardship scheme contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package.

George Eustice: We have established a programme of research to accurately assess our effectiveness, including a national framework for monitoring of pollinators. Over half of mid–tier applications to Countryside Stewardship contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme makes provisions for assessing the impact on pollinators. The Implementation Plan sets out details on progress with the Strategy and will be published shortly.We have established a programme of research to accurately assess the effectiveness of our pollinator strategy. Over half of mid-tier applications to the new Countryside Stewardship scheme contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Official Visits: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many visits her Departmental officials have made to China in support of the development of the Strategic Investment Agreement between EDF and China General Nuclear Corporation announced on 21 October 2015; how much each such visit cost; and if she will publish the minutes of each meeting held between UK and Chinese government officials on this agreement.

Andrea Leadsom: Officials visited China twice, in July and September, as part of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s visits at the same time. The cost of the first visit for the relevant officials was £8,900, the cost of the second visit was £6,750. I do not intend to publish minutes of the meetings, which discussed commercially sensitive information.

Carbon Sequestration

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to support carbon capture and storage technology to achieve commercial deployment; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) play an important role in meeting our 2050 emissions reduction target.The CCS Commercialisation Programme could provide capital and operating support for up to two commercial scale projects, subject to value for money. As part of our support for CCS, we are investing up to £100 million to support detailed engineering studies at the proposed Peterhead and White Rose CCS projects to enable Final Investment Decisions.Together with the Scottish Government we have committed, in principle, to provide £4.2 million to support Summit Power to undertake industrial research and development at their proposed CCS Caledonia Clean Energy Plant in Grangemouth, Scotland.We have also invested over £130 million since 2011 to support research and development and innovation to foster the next generation of CCS technologies.

Solar Power

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the likely proportion of total UK energy production which will be solar energy in each of the next five years.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 05 November 2015



In August, DECC published projections for UK solar electricity capacity by 2020/21:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457313/Estimated_capacity_of_selected_renewable_technologies_in_2020-21.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458662/IA_for_FITs_consultation_August_2015_-_FINAL_docx__e-signature_included__v2.pdf.This projected that, as of August 2015, UK solar electricity capacity would be 9.55GW by 2020/21, which would be 9.1TWh of generation, or 2.8% of UK electricity generation. The projections as of August 2015 for each of the next five years as follows:Solar PV as a proportion of total UK electricity generation – August 2015 projection2016/172.6%2017/182.6%2018/192.7%2019/202.7%2020/212.8%These estimates include assumptions about policy changes which have been proposed but not yet finalised and which could therefore change subject to the responses received – in particular, the consultation on a review of the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme and the consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV under the Renewables Obligation.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the contractual status is of the China/EDF deals; whether those contracts make provision for their terms to be reassessed at a future date; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The agreements announced on 21 October between EdF and CGN show the commitment of all sides to the Project - EDF has confirmed it will take a 66.5% stake in Hinkley with China General Nuclear (CGN) taking 33.5 per cent, demonstrating a clear commitment from both parties. The Government and EDF have finalised the Contract for Difference and ancillary documentation which offers increased price certainty for the electricity produced from Hinkley Point C. The Funded Decommissioning Programme has been approved and will make sure that the tax payer doesn’t pick up the cost of decommissioning the plant in the future. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will take her final decision on the Contract for Difference when EDF and CGN have signed the full investment documentation. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 October, Official Report, Column 45WS:http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm151021/wmstext/151021m0001.htm#15102155000002.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department was (a) consulted on and (b) approved the newly-signed nuclear energy contract between China and EDF.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has been centrally involved with the deal for Hinkley Point C throughout. Officials from the Department were in regular contact with both EdF and the Chinese investors in the run-up to the announcement on 21 October that they had reached a Strategic Investment Agreement. However, these negotiations are a commercial matter for the parties involved. We are confident that mechanisms are in place to ensure Chinese investment does not pose a threat to national security. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2nd November 2015 to Question 13409:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-26/13409/The Government welcomes investment and participation from Chinese companies in the Hinkley Point C project and progressive involvement more generally in the UK’s new build nuclear energy programme, provided they meet the stringent requirements of the UK’s regulators. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will take her final decision on the Contract for Difference when EDF and CGN have signed the full investment documentation.

Fracking: Drinking Water

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13491, if she will make it her policy to designate all the areas supplying aquifers used for drinking water as Source Protection Zones 1.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many complaints the Energy Ombudsman has received about post-installation delays for feed-in tariff payments to customers by energy companies.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Housing

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12313, on energy, what the proportion by age group is of those customers referred to in that Question.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC do not collect data on the age of energy customers.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Attorney General, how many civil servants in the Law Officers' Departments are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to the Law Officers' Departments.

Jeremy Wright: The Law Officers Departments do not hold complete records of the number of staff who are enrolled in a trade union as there is no obligation placed on a trade union to disclose this information to employers.Records are however maintained on the amount of facility time claimed during the financial year 2014/15 and the cost involved, as detailed below.Law Officers’ Departments – Trade Union facility time and costs in 2014-15Facility time (hours) 2CostGovernment Legal Department12,206.2£46,302Serious Fraud Office129.6£4,069Crown Prosecution Service14,267£351,9291 The GLD data also covers the Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.2 Only nominated trade union representatives are granted facility time.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time .

Ministry of Justice

First-tier Tribunal: Leasehold

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of each type of application listed on the HM Tribunals Service website were made to the Residential Property (First Tier) Tribunal for cases relating to leasehold in each of the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 September 2015.The correct answer should have been:

There are seven types of applications that can be made to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber - Residential Property). Two types of applications, namely leasehold disputes and leasehold enfranchisement, are types thatLeasehold dispute applications and leasehold enfranchisement applications relate to leasehold matters; the remaining five application types do not usually have any connection to leaseholds.Data specific to such cases relating to leasehold are not routinely published. The table below contains statistics sourced using internal data and sets out the number of applications made to the Property Chamber for cases relating to leasehold in each of the last five years.Number of Leasehold ApplicationsNumber of Leasehold Enfranchisement Applications2010/112009/1032162010/112009/1031182011/122010/1131222011/122010/1132842012/132011/1236452012/132011/1235742013/142012/1332992013/142012/1338572014/152013/1427732014/152013/145069Leasehold applications relate to Service Charges, Breach of Covenants, Administration Charges and Appointment of Managers. Leasehold Enfranchisement applications relate to the buying of a property’s freehold and extending a lease.As this data is drawn from internal data it has not undergone the usual quality assurance work associated with statistical publications.

Mr Shailesh Vara: There are seven types of applications that can be made to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber - Residential Property). Two types of applications, namely leasehold disputes and leasehold enfranchisement, are types thatLeasehold dispute applications and leasehold enfranchisement applications relate to leasehold matters; the remaining five application types do not usually have any connection to leaseholds.Data specific to such cases relating to leasehold are not routinely published. The table below contains statistics sourced using internal data and sets out the number of applications made to the Property Chamber for cases relating to leasehold in each of the last five years.Number of Leasehold ApplicationsNumber of Leasehold Enfranchisement Applications2010/112009/1032162010/112009/1031182011/122010/1131222011/122010/1132842012/132011/1236452012/132011/1235742013/142012/1332992013/142012/1338572014/152013/1427732014/152013/145069Leasehold applications relate to Service Charges, Breach of Covenants, Administration Charges and Appointment of Managers. Leasehold Enfranchisement applications relate to the buying of a property’s freehold and extending a lease.As this data is drawn from internal data it has not undergone the usual quality assurance work associated with statistical publications.

Magistrates' Courts: Bury

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much HM Courts and Tribunals Service has spent on maintenance of Bury Magistrates' Court in each of the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Maintenance figures for Bury Magistrates’ Court and County Court are provided below:2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15TotalResource spend per year [1]£106,252£111,712£137,854£115,914£108,710£580,442Capital spend per year[2]£277,4320£900,062[3]0£115,180£1,292,673Total£1,873,115This capital spend comprises essential works in order for the court to be used, including maintenance and repair of the heating and ventilation systems.[1] Resource maintenance includes: Labour Mechanical and Electrical, building improvement works, building maintenance, internal moves, grounds maintenance, pest and vermin control, fire compliance and other maintenance[2] Capital maintenance has been compiled using Project Completion dates and financial data. Only once an “asset under construction” is completed is the cost added to the property asset. It is possible that works could have begun a year earlier than the financial year in which costs are shown.[3] Includes a £466,723 operational integration cost and a £398,853 cost on heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Just Solutions International

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his plans are for Just Solutions International; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: I refer the hon member to the Secretary of State’s statement of 13 October 2015 at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm151013/debtext/151013-0001.htm#15101362000003

Victim Support Schemes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to improve services for victims and witnesses of crime.

Mike Penning: The Government is undertaking a wide range of measures to improve services for victims and witnesses of crime.We recently published a revised Victims' Code which will come into force on 16 November. As a result, victims of all criminal offences, and not just victims of more serious offences, will be entitled to support; and victims will be entitled to support from a wider range of organisations.Significant work is being undertaken by the Ministry of Justice to improve the experience of victims and witnesses when they engage with the criminal justice system, which includes strengthening the protection available when going to court. We have already doubled the number of Registered Intermediaries available to offer support to vulnerable witnesses and are giving vulnerable victims and witnesses greater opportunity to give evidence away from court using new live-link facilities. This is on top of a range of existing special measures to help reduce the anxiety of attending court, including giving evidence from behind a screen in the courtroom or the use of live-link from another room in court to the courtroom.Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for commissioning the majority of emotional, practical and specialist support services for victims of crime, based on their assessment of local needs, and receive funding from the Ministry of Justice to do so. In addition, the Ministry of Justice funds services to support those bereaved by murder and manslaughter, female and male victims of rape, victims of road traffic crime and victims of terrorism, and support for victims and witnesses attending criminal courts. To help victims find the services they need, the Ministry of Justice has recently launched the Victims’ Information Service, which includes a website directory of services and a free telephone helpline which can provide immediate assistance and support.

Human Rights Act 1998

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which articles contained in the Human Rights Act are planned to be omitted from the proposed British Bill of Rights.

Dominic Raab: Our Bill of Rights will protect fundamental human rights, and prevent abuse of the system. The Government will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation and we will set out our proposals in due course.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) transgender and (b) transsexual prisoners are placed in prison accommodation that is appropriate to their gender.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the adequacy of his Department's guidance on the care and management of transsexual prisoners.

Caroline Dinenage: Prison Service Instruction 07/2011 sets out NOMS policy on the care and management of prisoners who live or propose to live in the gender other to the one assigned at birth. Prisoners are normally placed according to their legally recognised gender. However, the guidelines allow room for discretion and senior prison staff will review the circumstances of every case in consultation with medical and other experts in order to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of the person concerned along with the safety and wellbeing of other prisoners.A review of the current policy on transgender and transsexual prisoners began earlier this year and revised policy guidance will be issued to reflect NOMS' responsibilities to transgender offenders in the community as well as in custody. The intention is to implement the guidance early in the New Year.

Prisoners: Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health on the rate of people taking their own lives in prisons.

Andrew Selous: Every death in custody is a tragedy, and we are committed to reducing the rate of self-inflicted deaths in prisons.My department works closely with the Department of Health on measures to reduce suicide in prisons and in the wider community. Both the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Quality and I are members of the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody, which also includes the Minister for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims, senior officials from our respective departments and a range of stakeholders. There was a detailed discussion of the recent data on self-inflicted deaths in prisons at the most recent meeting of the Board on 21 October and further consideration of this topic is planned at the February meeting.Healthcare staff in prisons play an important role in the identification and management of prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide. Commissioners and providers of healthcare services are active partners with the National Offender Management Service in its work to prevent self-inflicted deaths in prisons.

Cabinet Office

Ministry of Justice: Departmental Responsibilities

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the Ministry of Justice no longer has responsibility for Government policy on freedom of information and data protection.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements of the 17 July [HLWS134] and 17 September [HCWS209]. As set out in the Ministerial Code, the Prime Minister is responsible for the overall organisation of the executive.

Electronic Government: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will contact those people whose personal details have been stolen as a result of the cyber security breach of the Government Gateway system.

Matthew Hancock: There are no indications of a cyber security breach of the Government Gateway.

Government Departments: ICT

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of government IT spending was spent with small and medium sized (SME) enterprises in 2014-15; and what estimate  he has made of the proportion of that spending that will be with SMEs in 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: We are finalising the data for government spend with small business during 2014-15 and will publish this information before the end of the year.Data for 2015-16 will be published in due course.

Government Departments: Procurement

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances major Government programmes are exempted from the requirement for Gateway Reviews.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances major Government programmes are subjected to Project Assessment Reviews instead of Gateway Reviews; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The Major Project Portfolio for each Department is agreed by the Department, the Major Projects Authority and the relevant HM Treasury spending team. Each programme on the portfolio is subject to an agreed schedule of approvals and assurance, which will normally include Gateway Reviews. There is no provision for formal exemption.A Project Assessment Review is conducted either instead of or in addition to Gateway Reviews, and allows for specific terms of reference to be tailored to meet the assurance needs of the particular Government Major Project.

Government Departments: Living Wage

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that no Department be permitted to (a) employ staff at wages below the living wage and (b) sign a contract with contractors who pay their staff less than the living wage.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 04 November 2015



We are the first Government ever to deliver a National Living Wage. Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government contractors, from April 2016.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Internet

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will take steps to ensure that the parliament.uk website states the country in which hon. Members' constituencies are located.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 04 November 2015



The way that Members’ biographical information is displayed on Parliament’s website is not a matter for the Commission. I have, however, drawn the Administration Committee’s attention to the hon. Member’s request, and would advise her to approach the Chair of that Committee directly to discuss her proposal. The Administration Committee can then decide whether to offer advice on this matter to the authorities of the House.